World Kitchen Central founder Jose Andres fought back tears as he described nourishing waves of incoming refugees fleeing Ukraine amid a Vladimir-Putin led bloody invasion.
More than 500,000 Ukrainians have fled their country since Putin’s troops launched an unprovoked takeover attempt last week that’s left more than 350 civilians dead.
The majority of those fleeing the war-torn nation are women and children who’ve found refuge in neighboring Poland via eight checkpoints erected along the 300-mile border.
In a tearful message filmed Monday night as snow fell in Rzeszów, Poland, Andres detailed how he struggled to reconcile his own comforts with the hardships of Ukrainians fleeing their homeland by car, train, and foot.
‘Obviously all the people of Poland, like all the people of the world, are Ukrainians right now,’ the celebrity chef said. ‘As you see, the snow is now coming as we speak, the temperatures are really freezing and I’m going to go in the comfort of my hotel like many of us in the comfort of our homes.
‘It’s hard to know that, even in this moment, there are mainly women with children walking for hours out of Ukraine to safety, to different countries,’ he continued. ‘Every country is welcoming them and every country is doing their best, but it’s hard to know there are people walking in the streets or spending the night in a car with no gas, with no way to heat themselves.’
World Kitchen Central founder Jose Andres led a delegation of other chefs to Poland to feed thousands of Ukrainians desperately fleeing their country
More than 500,000 Ukrainians have fled their country since Putin’s troops launched an unprovoked takeover attempt last week that’s left more than 350 civilians dead. People are pictured at the Kyiv train station, hoping to catch a ride out of town, on March 1, 2022
Andres has mobilized a team of chefs to help greet incoming Ukrainians with warm, nourishing meals.
He in a series of tweets and accompanying videos detailed how he and his colleagues worked in below-freezing temperatures to meet refugees whose lives have been thrown into disarray and uncertainty.
‘We will do our best not to let them down!’ he said.
Since his World Kitchen Central crew arrived to help, they’ve established meal sites at all eight border crossings in Poland, as well as in Romania.
His colleague. the organization’s chief executive Nate Mook described on Twitter the chaos he’s witnessing firsthand.
‘Last night I was in Ukraine along the border with Poland serving hundreds of families fleeing the invasion,’ he tweeted. ‘Exhausted, they had been waiting in line for 20-30 hours. Their friendly smiles belied the tragedy and uncertainty of what’s next.’
World Kitchen Central has expanded its efforts by establishing food stations at all eight of Poland’s border crossings
The non-profit distributed 10,000 meals Monday and expected to share 25,000 plates on Tuesday. IT’s also expanded into Romania, where a woman is seen eating with a child Tuesday in Ștefănești
Families who spent hours, or even days, reaching safer ground are pictured lining up for hot chicken stew, soup, tea and apple pie in Korczowa, Poland on February 26
Smiling refugees are pictured bundled up and scooping up soup after crossing into the Polish border in Korczowa, Poland on February 26
He and others were also distributing sandwiches, fresh fruit, and chocolate to those waiting in hundreds of cars for upward of 30 hours.
Mook said his non-profit wasn’t the only one helping; farmers were seen handing out eggs and sausage, where a food truck dished out bowls of ramen noodles.
He said one volunteer traveled from London to help.
‘He had never fired a gun in his life, and he decided the best way to fight was to serve meals,’ Mook told the Wall Street Journal. ‘We’re seeing people who are passionate about helping.’
He said the non-profit distributed 10,000 meals Monday and expected to share 25,000 plates on Tuesday.
‘It’s hard to know that, even in this moment, there are mainly women with children walking for hours out of Ukraine to safety, to different countries,’ Andres said of the people he’s helping
More than 350 civilians have been killed since the conflict began. Smoke is seen billowing from a TV tower in Kyiv that was hit by a Russia strike on March 1, 2022
An armed man stands near the remains of a Russian military vehicle in Bucha, Ukraine on March 1, 2022
As the mission’s leader, Andres is well-known for stepping up to help those in need worldwide.
After Puerto Rico was ravaged by a hurricane in 2017, for example, the Spanish-born chef flew in to offer relief by serving up 20,000 meals per day in communities left powerless.
Now in eastern Europe, Andres – who owns a Michelin-star restaurant in Washington – said his priority is to help those facing their darkest hour.
He called on others to help where they can – and to open their eyes to the atrocities underway.
‘Why do we put young men and women in this situation?’ Andres said. ‘We didn’t learn enough from the horrors of the past? People, we need to speak up against leaders that are breaking the support. We can not let more Putins of the world. We can not use life like it’s monopoly. Life is not a Monopoly game. Life is real.’
He concluded the video with a final swipe at Putin and his supporters: ‘Anybody that ever thought about saying Putin is a good leader should be ashamed. Anybody supporting people that said Putin was a good leader should be more than ashamed.
‘This is a people that think life is a Monopoly.’
